14th Dec 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=560 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Reuters COVID19 cases in Canada may rapidly rise in the coming days due to community spread of the Omicron variant mirroring the situation in the countrys most populous province of Ontario Canadas top health official said on Monday. The surge of COVID19 cases in Ontario which accounts for almost 40 of Canadas population of 39 million people has prompted the provincial government to suspend easing of restrictions that were planned to be lifted ahead of the holiday season https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-could-soon-see-rapid-surge-covid-19-cases-omicron-spreads-locally-2021-12-13/ 14th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Norway will further tighten restrictions and speed up vaccination in a bid to limit an expected surge of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Monday. Presenting its fourth round of measures in two weeks the government announced a ban on serving alcohol in bars and restaurants a closing of gyms and swimming pools to most users and stricter rules in schools among other things. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/norway-tighten-covid-restrictions-pm-says-2021-12-13/ 14th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters India reported its lowest tally of active COVID19 cases in 18 months on Monday but a sharp drop in the use of protective face masks is causing concern after a rise in the number of infections with the Omicron variant. Many people have been standing or sitting close to each other without masks or covering only their chins at big rallies held by political parties in several states before elections. Something similar happened before the Delta variant ravaged India from April. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/masks-come-off-rallies-begin-indias-covid-19-patient-load-falls-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Major Chinese manufacturing province Zhejiang is fighting its first COVID19 cluster this year with tens of thousands of citizens in quarantine and virushit areas suspending business operations cutting flights and cancelling events. The province reported 74 locally transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms on Dec. 12 official data showed on Monday almost double the previous days 38 cases lifting to 173 the total since the province started to report cases for the latest outbreak. The outbreak in three Zhejiang cities Ningbo Shaoxing and Hangzhou was developing at a relatively rapid speed while the situation nationwide was largely stable National Health Commission official Wu Liangyou said on Saturday. reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinese-manufacturing-hub-fights-its-first-2021-covid-19-outbreak-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters At least 200000 COVID19 vaccines have expired in Senegal without being used in the past two months and another 200000 are set to expire at the end of December because demand is too slow the head of its immunisation programme said on Monday. African governments have been calling for more COVID19 vaccines to help catch up with richer regions where vaccine rollouts have been humming along for more than a year. Yet as the pace of supply has picked up in recent weeks some countries have struggled to keep pace. Logistical problems the short shelf life of vaccines that arrive from donors and vaccine hesitancy have all kept doses from reaching arms. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/exclusive-senegal-expects-waste-400000-covid-19-vaccines-by-year-end-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Australias mostpopulous state has recorded its highest daily Covid19 infection tally in more than two months as authorities battle the fastspreading omicron variant even as New South Wales readies to remove almost all restrictions. The state recorded 804 new virus infections in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. Monday a 50 jump from the day before officials said in statement Tuesday. Its the largest tally since Oct. 2 when its largest city Sydney was in the midst of a monthslong lockdown to combat the delta variant. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-13/virus-cases-surge-in-australian-state-even-as-restrictions-ease 13th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal Some of the largest U.S. hospital systems have dropped Covid19 vaccine mandates for staff after a federal judge temporarily halted a Biden administration mandate that healthcare workers get the shots. https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-hospitals-drop-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-to-ease-labor-shortages-11639396806 13th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal The new variants impact on global oil markets wont be as seismic as initially feared because governments and businesses are now better adapted to dealing with the coronavirus. the cartel said. https://www.wsj.com/articles/omicron-oil-demand-impact-will-be-mild-and-short-lived-opec-says-11639398257 13th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal The healthcare industry has long been a prime target of cybercriminals looking to mine patients personal information or disrupt facilities operations in ransomware attacks. The Covid19 pandemic has made matters much worse as the adoption of new technologies to enhance remote care and increased remote work has created a multitude of new potential targets for hackers. Wall Street Journal news editor Sara Castellanos spoke with Kathy Hughes chief information security officer at Northwell Health and Joey Johnson chief information security officer at Premise Health at the WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Executive Forum about the cybersecurity threat and how the industry can protect itself. Edited excerpts of the conversation follow. https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-covid-increased-the-cybersecurity-threat-to-healthcare-companies-11638904616 13th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Austria has ended lockdown restrictions for vaccinated people across most of the country three weeks after reimposing strict rules to combat a rising wave of coronavirus infections. The rules which vary by region within the country largely allow for the reopening of theatres museums and other cultural and entertainment venues on Sunday. Shops will follow on Monday. Some regions are reopening restaurants and hotels on Sunday while others will wait until later in the month. In all cases there will be an 11pm curfew for restaurants and masks will still be required on public transport and inside stores and public spaces. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/12/austria-ends-covid-lockdown-restrictions-for-vaccinated-people 12th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

BBC News Nicaragua has received one million Covid vaccines from China days after it cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of Beijing. Government representatives returned to the Central American state on Sunday with news of the donation. Local media broadcast clips showing an Air China plane landing with the first 200000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine. Officials said they were extremely grateful for restored relations with Beijing. We have come back with this great news that we have brought this donation of one million vaccinates to the Nicaraguan people said Laureano Ortega Murillo the son of Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega and one of his advisers. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59633388 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

The Washington Post In a world struggling to convince people to take the coronavirus vaccine the news was striking. So Paulo the largest city in the Western Hemisphere announced late last month that it had succeeded where others had failed. One hundred percent of its adult population had been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus a remarkable rate in an era characterized by an intransigent and growing global antivaccine movement that has hobbled vaccination efforts from Europe to the United States. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/13/coronavirus-brazil-sao-paulo-vaccination/ 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

BBC News The army will help in an effort to give booster vaccinations to all UK adults by New Years Day Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced. Speaking on TV in a recorded message on Sunday night after Strictly Come Dancing the PM explained that the topup vaccinations would help in our battle with the new variant. The plan will be delivered across all four UK nations he said. Scotland is also setting the same target to offer all adults a booster by the end of the year and Northern Ireland said it is stepping up its rollout and hopes to get as many people as possible boosted by then too. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/59634901 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

ITV News Large queues formed outside some walkin vaccination centres as Northern Irelands booster vaccine rollout was extended to over30s. Some people have been waiting more than two hours at the Ulster Hospitals vaccination hub with other clinics reporting similar waits. People queuing for jabs at hubs faced similar lengthy waits over the weekend. Some people waited up to three hours to be vaccinated at a walkin clinic at the Downshire Hospital in Downpatrick on Sunday. https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2021-12-13/large-queues-as-covid-19-booster-roll-out-extended-to-over-30s 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Sky News Northern Irelands COVID19 passport scheme which requires people to provide proof of vaccination a negative lateral flow test result or evidence of a previous coronavirus infection to gain entry to licenced premises and entertainment venues is set to become legally enforceable today. The scheme was introduced late last month with a twoweek grace period to allow businesses to adjust to the new requirements. The rules will apply to the hospitality sector including pubs restaurants and nightclubs as well as entry to large indoor and outdoor events such as cinemas concerts theatres and sporting events. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-n-irelands-coronavirus-passport-set-to-become-legally-enforceable-as-wales-and-scotland-prepare-for-tougher-restrictions-12494620 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Indonesia will start administering COVID19 vaccinations for children aged between 611 on Tuesday a health ministry official said as the Southeast Asian country becomes one of the first in the region to immunise the very young. Indonesia approved Chinas Sinovac Biotech vaccine for the age group last month and about 26.5 million children have been targeted for vaccination Maxi Rein Rondonuwu a senior health ministry official told a briefing. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/indonesia-start-vaccinating-children-aged-6-11-against-covid-19-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters South Korea will soon roll out a pilot project to use artificial intelligence facial recognition and thousands of CCTV cameras to track the movement of people infected with the coronavirus despite concerns about the invasion of privacy. The nationally funded project in Bucheon one of the countrys most densely populated cities on the outskirts of Seoul is due to become operational in January a city official told Reuters. The system uses an AI algorithms and facial recognition technology to analyse footage gathered by more than 10820 CCTV cameras and track an infected persons movements anyone they had close contact with and whether they were wearing a mask according to a 110page business plan from the city submitted to the Ministry of Science and ICT Information and Communications Technology and provided to Reuters by a parliamentary lawmaker critical of the project. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-test-ai-powered-facial-recognition-track-covid-19-cases-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters The Asian Development Bank ADB has approved a 250 million loan for the Philippines to purchase COVID19 vaccines it said in a statement on Monday. The ADB said the loan would allow the government to purchase 40 million additional COVID19 vaccine doses for eligible children and booster shots for adults. The Philippines is aiming to fully vaccinate at least 54 million people or nearly half of its 110 million population before the year ends. https://www.reuters.com/markets/rates-bonds/philippines-secures-250-mln-loan-adb-covid-19-vaccines-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Thailand will halve to three months the time between administering a second COVID19 vaccine shot and a booster a health official said on Monday to try to strengthen immunity in anticipation of a local spread of the Omicron variant. Thailand has so far detected eight imported cases of the Omicron variant but has yet to see community transmission according to its health ministry. Omicron has been reported in dozens of countries. Because Omicron is now widespread the booster third shot would help lessen the severity of symptoms and reduce the death rate said Taweesin Wisanuyothin spokesperson for the governments COVID19 taskforce. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thailand-expedite-covid-19-boosters-anticipation-omicron-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Dow Jones Newswire Moderna Inc. reached an agreement in principle with the Australian government to build a messenger RNA vaccinemanufacturing facility in Victoria Australia. Moderna expects to invest in the facility with the collaboration of the Commonwealth and Victorian governments aiming to provide Australians with domestically manufactured vaccines including the Covid19 and flu vaccines. Moderna expects that up to 100 million vaccine doses could be produced in Australia each year. The company said it is in discussions with other governments about potential collaborations using a similar model. https://www.wsj.com/articles/moderna-plans-australia-vaccine-manufacturing-facility-151639437344?mod=Markets_screener_news 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

The Asssociated Press Long lines formed Monday at vaccination centers across England as people heeded the governments call for all adults to get booster shots to protect themselves against the omicron variant and as the U.K. recorded its first death of a patient infected with omicron. In a televised announcement late Sunday Prime Minister Boris Johnson said everyone 18 and up would be offered a third vaccine dose by Dec. 31 less than three weeks away and a month earlier than the previous target. Johnson said boosters would reinforce our wall of vaccine protection against an anticipated tidal wave of omicron. U.K. health authorities say omicron cases are doubling every two to three days in Britain and that the variant will replace delta as the dominant coronavirus strain within days. Health Secretary Sajid Javid told lawmakers Monday that omicron will be dominant in London within 48 hours. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-boris-johnson-london-f68c13a9f9be352cf70e1e1a5f32e72a 13th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

iNews The Government has not ruled out a move to vaccinate children as young as 5 years old with parental consent although said a decision was not imminent. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said vaccination experts were still reviewing the evidence on what level of protection a coronavirus vaccine would give those aged under 12 and that a decision would await their verdict. Asked whether there were plans to vaccinate primary school children Mr Zahawi told the BBCs The Andrew Marr Show There is no plan at the moment to vaccinate primary school children for the reason that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is still looking at the evidence as to what level of protection it would offer. https://inews.co.uk/news/health/government-not-ruling-out-covid-vaccine-children-young-5-years-old-1348873 12th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

EL PAS in English Spain on Monday received its first shipment of Covid19 vaccines for children. The 1.3 million doses made by PfizerBioNTech will be shipped to the regions which are in charge of their own vaccination campaigns said the Health Ministry. The shots will be administered from December 15 when health authorities are expected to first call in kids from atrisk groups and those ages 10 and 11. But the logistics will vary depending on the region with some like Catalonia choosing to immunize all children between the ages of five and 11 at the same time. https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-12-13/spain-receives-first-shipment-of-covid-19-vaccines-for-children.html 13th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected challenges brought by a group of Christian doctors and nurses and an organization that promotes vaccine skepticism to New Yorks refusal to allow religious exemptions to the states mandate that healthcare workers be vaccinated against COVID19. Acting in two cases the justices denied emergency requests for an injunction requiring the state to permit religious exemptions while litigation over the mandates legality continues in lower courts. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have granted the injunction. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-rejects-religious-challenge-new-york-vaccine-mandate-2021-12-13/ 14th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters California will impose a statewide mask mandate in all indoor public spaces as COVID19 case rates soar the states senior government health official said on Monday as precautions ramp up against the Omicron variant. The mandate which will take effect on Wednesday and last a month is one of several measures the mostpopulous U.S. state is taking to slow a wave of infections that is already straining hospitals in areas where vaccination rates are low. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/california-re-institute-statewide-mask-mandate-amid-rise-covid-cases-2021-12-13/ 14th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

Haaretz Israels Education Minister Yifat ShashaBiton dismissed the ministrys director general on Sunday. According to sources in the ministry the two had an ongoing friction over Yigal Sloviks support for administering the coronavirus vaccine in schools something that the education minister had reservations about. ShashaBiton wrote on Facebook that the coronavirus and the dismissal are unrelated and her associates said she fired Slovik due to her more general dissatisfaction over his professional performance and not specifically over coronavirus policy. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-s-education-minister-fires-top-official-after-spat-over-vaccines-in-schools-1.10461049 13th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

Sky News The Conservative Party is drifting into authoritarianism a senior Tory MP has warned as he confirmed he would oppose new coronavirus restrictions. Former Brexit minister Steve Baker told Sky News he believed at least 60 of his party colleagues at Westminster would join him in voting against the imposition of further COVID19 measures by Boris Johnson this week. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-pm-facing-major-revolt-over-coronavirus-curbs-amid-authoritarianism-warning-12493843 13th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters Norway will ban the serving of alcohol in bars and restaurants impose stricter rules in schools and speed up vaccination as part of new efforts to curb the outbreak of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus the government said on Monday. For many this will feel like a lockdown if not of society then of their lives and of their livelihoods Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/norway-bans-serving-alcohol-bid-halt-omicron-outbreak-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

The Associated Press France has opened 400 investigations into networks providing fake COVID19 health passes the interior minister said Sunday as virusrelated hospitalizations rise sharply across the country. The case of a woman with the virus who died in a Paris regional hospital after showing a false vaccine certificate has drawn attention in French media in recent days. The hospitals intensive care chief said they would have given the woman immediate antibody treatment had they known that she wasnt vaccinated. Authorities have identified several thousand fake COVID19 health passes in use around France Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Sunday on RTL radio. He said some 400 investigations have been opened into peddling fake passes including some connected to health professionals. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-technology-business-health-france-b66d11ea17f6d1ab1f83d55b41585060 13th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

The Associated Press Several thousand people marched through the Czech capital on Sunday protesting a COVID19 vaccination mandate for certain groups including people age 60 and over. The participants didnt wear face coverings or follow social distancing rules despite a request by police to do so. One person was detained. The protesters chanting Freedom alleged their constitutional rights are being violated. They said they werent against voluntary vaccination but opposed a vaccine mandate. The outgoing government released an order this week making vaccination mandatory for the 60 and over age group as well as medical personnel police officers firefighters and medical students. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-europe-andrej-babis-cce59b98d29c4978b118d6c7c50910c2 13th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg The omicron variant dented the protection afforded by two doses of Pfizer Inc.s and AstraZeneca Plcs Covid vaccines as feared researchers found increasing the risk of infection. Blood samples collected from people vaccinated with the two different shots and tested against the new strain showed a substantial drop in neutralizing antibodies a proxy for protection particularly compared with the delta variant researchers from the University of Oxford said Monday in a paper. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-13/vaccines-induce-lower-antibody-levels-against-omicron-in-study 14th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmaceutical Technology Moderna has amended an existing contract with Gavi the Vaccine Alliance to expedite the supply of 20 million doses of its Covid19 vaccine to COVAX by the end of this year. Under the deal the company agreed to deliver a total of 54 million vaccine doses to COVAX this year. The supply of the vaccine doses to COVAX Advance Market Commitment AMC nations has already been initiated. They were initially agreed to be delivered in the first quarter of next year as part of the companys prior agreement with Gavi. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/moderna-vaccine-supply-deal-gavi/ 13th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Jerusalem Post Individuals double vaccinated against COVID19 within the last six months cant receive a booster and still need to wait to get their third jab the Pandemic Response Team and the Advisory Committee on Vaccines said late Sunday night. The committee met for several hours to discuss the issue as 67 cases of Omicron were discovered in Israel and dozens more are under investigation. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/coronavirus/vaccine-committee-rules-against-fourth-covid-shot-688577 13th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Chinas Brii Biosciences said on Sunday lab studies showed that its COVID19 antibody cocktail retained activity against the Omicron variant although one of the antibodies showed a substantial drop in activity when tested alone. Test details for the dualantibody treatment which last week became the first approved COVID19 antibody cocktail in China would not be available until publication in a scientific journal but results from three independent labs showed similar pattern Brii chief executive Hong Zhi said on Monday https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/chinas-brii-says-its-covid-19-antibody-cocktail-retains-activity-against-omicron-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Israeli researchers said on Saturday they found that a threeshot course of the PfizerBioNTech COVID19 vaccine provided significant protection against the new Omicron variant. The findings were similar to those presented by BioNTech and Pfizer earlier in the week which were an early signal that booster shots could be key to protect against infection from the newly identified variant. The study carried out by Sheba Medical Center and the Health Ministrys Central Virology Laboratory compared the blood of 20 people who had received two vaccine doses 56 months earlier to the same number of individuals who had received a booster a month before. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-study-finds-pfizer-covid-19-booster-protects-against-omicron-2021-12-11/ 13th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The Omicron coronavirus variant reported in more than 60 countries poses a very high global risk with some evidence that it evades vaccine protection but clinical data on its severity is limited the World Health Organization says. Considerable uncertainties surround Omicron first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong whose mutations may lead to higher transmissibility and more cases of COVID19 disease the WHO said in a technical brief issued on Sunday. The overall risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron remains very high for a number of reasons it said reiterating its first assessment of Nov. 29. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-poses-very-high-global-risk-data-severity-limited-who-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Chinas Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical said on Monday a small laboratory test showed its COVID19 vaccine could trigger antibodies against the Omicron variant though the response was weaker than against an older variant of the virus. The unit of Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products is the first Chinese vaccine developer to announce early data on how its COVID19 vaccine work against Omicron which has triggered global alarm about another surge in infections. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/antibody-response-china-zhifeis-covid-shot-weaker-against-omicron-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Arab News The omicron coronavirus variant is more transmissible than the delta strain and reduces vaccine efficacy but causes less severe symptoms according to early data the World Health Organization said Sunday. The delta variant first identified in India earlier this year is responsible for most of the worlds coronavirus infections. But South Africas discovery of omicron which has a large number of mutations last month prompted countries around the world to impose travel bans on southern African countries and reintroduce domestic restrictions to slow its spread. https://www.arabnews.com/node/1985921 13th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Fortune Nearly three weeks after the Omicron variant was first identified by South African scientists the COVID19 mutation has whipped across the world with infections in at least 63 countries. But in South Africa itself the cases seem to be nearing their peak and could already be headed for decline. Cases of Omicron in Gauteng South Africas most populous province and home to its biggest city Johannesburg rose slightly from a sevenday daily average of 9645 last Thursday to 10131 on Sunday. At the same time the positivity rate of those being tested and the number of hospitalizations have both been falling. Data from the countrys National Institute for Communicable Diseases shows positivity rates dropping from 30 to around 15 between Thursday and Saturday while the number of new hospitalizations fell from 207 to 64 over the same period. The positivity rate in South Africa has been flattening and now declined for the past two days Scott Gottlieb a senior fellow for the American Enterprise Institute and former FDA commissioner tweeted on Sunday. https://fortune.com/2021/12/13/omicron-cases-may-already-be-peaking-in-south-africa-less-than-a-month-after-the-covid-19-variant-first-surfaced/ 13th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent As coronavirus infections and deaths soar in Hungary the countrys journalists and public health professionals are demanding more detailed data on the outbreak from the government with some experts saying that greater transparency might boost lagging vaccination rates. Information is often hard to find in the country of over 9 million people where infection rates have broken records and daily deaths per capita are among the highest in the world. Although Hungary has secured vaccine doses from China and Russia in addition to those provided by the European Union nearly a third of its adults still have not received a single shot. That hesitancy is something immunologist Andras Falus said can be partly attributed to official communications about the pandemic being extremely poor inconsistent and totally incapable of maintaining trust. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/hungary-viktor-orban-covid-budapest-czech-republic-b1974813.html 13th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News Sajid Javid has urged the British public to play your part and get a COVID booster vaccine warning that the UK is once again in a race between the vaccine and the virus. The heath secretary told Skys Kay Burley that cases of Omicron are growing at a phenomenal rate which is why the government is expanding the booster programme to a level never seen before in this country. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-javid-says-play-your-part-and-get-a-booster-jab-as-the-uk-is-again-in-a-race-between-the-vaccine-and-the-virus-12494666 13th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Health authorities in northern Chinas port city of Tianjin have detected the first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the countrys mainland the staterun Tianjin Daily reported on Monday. The infection was discovered in a traveller who arrived in the city from overseas on Dec. 9 the newspaper said adding that the patient is currently being treated in isolation in hospital. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/mainland-china-detects-first-case-omicron-coronavirus-variant-state-media-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters France will be hit by a sixth COVID19 wave next month due to the emergence of the new more contagious Omicron variant of the disease while the country is still in the midst of the current Deltafuelled fifth wave of the pandemic according to a leading French hospital executive. We havent said a word on the sixth wave which is Omicron which will come later in January Martin Hirsch head of Pariss APHP hospitals group Europes largest hospital system told RTL radio. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/sixth-covid-wave-fuelled-by-omicron-hit-france-january-paris-hospitals-executive-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Britain raised its COVID alert level on Sunday in response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the virus as medical authorities warned that hospitalisations are likely to rise sharply over the coming weeks. The chief medical officers of England Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland recommended an increase to alert level 4 from level 3 on its 5point scale which means they judge transmission of the virus to be high. Early evidence shows that Omicron is spreading much faster than Delta and that vaccine protection against symptomatic disease from Omicron is reduced the medical officers said in a joint statement. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-raises-covid-alert-level-omicron-advances-2021-12-12/ 13th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Omicron wave requires tougher measures PM says. New restrictions hit bars restaurants gyms. Stricter COVID19 quarantines imposed. Fears new cases could reach 300000 per day in Jan. Currency weakens vs euro https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/norway-tighten-covid-restrictions-pm-says-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters At least one person has died in the United Kingdom after contracting the Omicron coronavirus variant Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday the first publicly confirmed death globally from the swiftly spreading strain. Since the first Omicron cases were detected on Nov. 27 in Britain Johnson has imposed tougher restrictions and on Sunday cautioned that the variant could overcome the immune defences of those inoculated with two shots of vaccines. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-says-omicron-spreading-phenomenal-rate-2021-12-13/ 13th Dec 2021